Top things to do in Hoi An

We share our top things to do in Hoi An, and we have to admit that this city really stole our hearts. We heard a lot of good things about it before we visited, but it even exceeded our expectations. Even though it wasn’t warm enough to enjoy the beaches too but we really enjoyed the city. Our favorite thing about it was how beautiful and full of lights, the old town was at night. We felt like in a fairytale.

Best time to visit

The dry season in this area of Vietnam is from February to July. These months provide warm temperatures and sunshine. We visited Hoi An in December, and it was great to explore the city but not warm and nice enough to go to the beach. Temperatures were around 20-22 degrees. That is why next time, we would go during the dry season to enjoy the beautiful beaches too.

How to get there

We came to Hoi An by overnight bus from Ninh Binh. Traveling by bus in Vietnam is very pleasant. There are different options for price and comfort. We tried both the cheaper and more expensive options. The cheaper options are of course less comfortable. But what we mainly didn’t like at this overnight bus experience (which was one of the cheaper options we chose) was how rude the people from the bus company were. Next time we would definitely spend a bit more and take one of the VIP buses we saw. They looked amazing.

When we first arrived in Vietnam we landed in Hanoi by plane and from there we traveled to all the places we visited by bus. We booked the bus tickets in advance via Bookaway or 12Go.Asia.

A one hour drive from Hoi An is the international Airport of Da Nang. The shuttle to the airport cost us 10$.

Visa

To enter Vietnam every traveler needs a visa. So far Vietnam has no such thing as an online visa. You have the following options to get your Visa. If you travel to Vietnam from home directly you can get your visa at the Vietnamese embassy in your home country before your trip.

If you are already traveling and want to visit Vietnam as we did, you have to apply for your visa at the airport so it’s basically a visa on arrival. But to be able to do so you have to fulfill the following requirements:

A passport that is valid at least 6 months

Approval letter (printed) that has to be claimed online before your arrival in Vietnam – we got ours here

2 Passport photos per person

25 USD in cash for Visa fee per person

Be prepared that it will take you some time at the airport to wait to get the visa. Besides that it is always good to bring a pen to fill the formula for the visa application.

Top things to do in Hoi An

Stroll through Hoi An’s Old town at night

We loved the old town of Hoi An, especially at night. We went there every night to stroll around and try some delicious treats in the streets. The whole old town is full of beautiful lanterns and this makes it a very magical and romantic stroll.

On the river, you can take a boat tour with small boats full of lights or you can release your own small paper lantern to the river. It gets quite busy in these streets but there is a lot to discover and it was definitely our highlight in Hoi An.

Bike to the beach and go for a swim

As we already mentioned above during the time when we visited Hoi An the weather wasn’t good and warm enough to actually spend a day at the beach and swim. But the beaches in Hoi An are big and have beautiful white sand. There are several cute beach restaurants, where you can go for lunch.

Most hotels provide bicycles for their guests for free. We biked to the beach anyway to have lunch even though it wasn’t warm and we loved to bike around in the city. Just be careful with the traffic, which is sometimes a bit crazy in Vietnam.

Afternoon tea at Reaching Out Teahouse

The Reaching Out Teahouse is a very cute place to have afternoon tea and cake or cookies. It is run by hearing-impaired staff. That is what makes it super special and a very beautiful experience. It is meant to be a silent place so you should only whisper or don’t speak at all. There are cute clogs and notes on the table which you can use if you like to ask or tell the staff something. If you can speak sign language you can, of course, use it.

They also have a shop where they sell beautiful handmade things to support the hearing-impaired community.

Go shopping or get some custom made clothes

There are a few very cute shops in the old town of Hoi An like for example Sunday Hoi An. This is where you find the cute Marrakech style corner on our photos.

Also there are countless tailors around the city where you can get your own custom made clothing. For basic clothing like a summer dress for a women or a button up shirt for a man expect to pay around 15-25 $. For evening wear like a gown for a woman or a suit for a man somewhere between 80-200$ depending on material and special details.

Where to eat in Hoi An

Our favorite restaurants in Hoi An are:

Rosie’s Cafe: Lovely garden restaurant, our favorite place for Breakfast / Luncha and great place to work as well

How to get around in Hoi An

We usually walked everything during our time in Hoi An. Our guesthouse was located around 20 min from the old town and we enjoyed walking through the city and always discovering something new.

Most hotels in Hoi An provide bicycles for free which the guests can use. One day we took a bike and drove through the city and to the beach for lunch. It was a lot of fun to bike around but always be careful with the traffic which is sometimes a bit crazy in Vietnam.

Besides that Grab is available in Vietnam and is an easy and cheap way for a taxi if you need one.

Budget

Traveling in Vietnam is easy and not expensive. We stayed fifteen days in Vietnam, and overall spent 50$ per day for food (20$), accommodation (18$), transport (9$), and sightseeing (3$).

Following are some prices to help you plan your travel budget.

Bus from Hanoi to Ha Long Bay: 6$ per person

Bus from Ha Long Bay to Ninh Binh: 21$ per person

Bus from Ninh Binh to Hoi An: 17$ per person

Hotel shuttle from Hoi An to Da Nang International Airport: 10$

Scooter for one day: 5$

Meal at local restaurant (fried rice): around 5$ for two people

Meal at touristic restaurant: around 15$ for two people

Travel tips

Getting Cash in Vietnam

Getting cash is easy, as there are plenty of ATMs available. Unfortunately, they charge you a fee of somewhat between 2.50$ and 4.50$ per withdrawal. During our stay, we had to get cash four times (each time the maximum of 3’000’000 VND). To save money on fees and because most places only accept cash, we suggest getting the maximum amount of money the ATM offers with each withdrawal.

To get the best exchange rates and save money on fees at the ATM and while paying by card, we use a pre-paid credit card from Revolut.

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.AcceptRejectRead More

Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.